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F.Y.I.

Q. My Japanese grandfather spent time in an internment camp out West during World War II. Were there any such camps in New York?

A. There was an internment camp in New York, in the part of the city that for generations had meant freedom and opportunity for immigrants from throughout the world. The camp was on Ellis Island.

In the fall of 1941, even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Justice Department had begun planning to round up foreigners. Letters show that the Attorney General's office expected to arrest 600 people from New York and 200 from New Jersey per month and hold them on Ellis Island. On Dec. 8, 1941, the day after the attack, the roundup began. Internees were housed in the baggage and dormitory building behind the Great Hall.

Unlike the camps in the West, where Japanese and Japanese-Americans were held, Ellis Island interned mainly Germans and Italians, including the Metropolitan Opera star Ezio Pinza. Japanese were also held there, along with Austrians and, at one point, a Nicaraguan.

Some of the internees were natural-born United States citizens, others were naturalized citizens and still others were resident foreigners. The population was fluid, with some awaiting hearings, some being transferred to another camp, and some awaiting deportation or repatriation -- all this in a place with the Statue of Liberty visible beyond the barred windows.

The Japanese surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945, bringing World War II to an end, and the camp closed that year. It is estimated that some 8,000 foreigners and citizens passed through it during its four years.

Taking TAKI's Tag

Q. I've heard that the movie ''TURK 182'' was based on a real New York graffiti writer. Is that true?

A. Not quite, but it takes a true New York movie buff to remember ''Turk 182,'' a 1985 release that TV Guide dismissed as ''self-important, forgettable fluff.'' If there is something strangely memorable about the title for New Yorkers, however, it could be that it was inspired by the first famous New York City graffiti writer, TAKI 183.

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The late 60's and early 70's witnessed an infamous decline in subway maintenance, which, not surprisingly, coincided with the rise of graffiti on the trains. A ubiquitous signature, or ''tag,'' was ''TAKI 183.''

An article about TAKI 183, which appeared in The New York Times on July 21, 1971, revealed that he was a 17-year-old who lived on 183rd Street in Washington Heights. Taki is a traditional Greek diminutive for Demetrius, his first name.

The article made TAKI 183 a minor celebrity, and not surprisingly Hollywood co-opted his name, sort of, though not his story. TAKI 183 became TURK 182, played by Timothy Hutton, who fought a corrupt City Hall with an honest heart and a can of spray paint; his battle led to the movie mayor's demise.

Whether or not Mayor Edward I. Koch ever saw the film, he did vow to clean up the subways. But his success didn't help him politically; he lost in 1989 to David N. Dinkins.

Murphy's Brother

Q. There's a playground at Avenue C and the F.D.R. Drive awkwardly called Murphy's Brother's Playground. Who are Murphy and his brother?

A. Originally called the 17th Street Park, it was named for John J. Murphy, a politician and businessman, in 1921. In 1985 the park was rechristened to acknowledge John's older brother, Charles (Silent Charlie) Murphy, a saloonkeeper, a political broker and -- thanks to his low-key, back-room peacemaking ability -- an eventual leader of Tammany Hall. ED BOLAND Jr.

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